St. Paul daily globe., 1887-11-27
Mrs. Ansel Oppenheim Enter
taics a Large Gathering of
Ladies at a Reception.
An Official Estimate of War
den Stordock's Ability as
a Prison officer.
Summary Of the Local Hap
penings on a Snowy Sat-
day--Notes of Interest.
ALMOST CAME TO BLOWS.
The Manager of the Ideals and
the Pioneer Press Critic Have
misunderstanding.

Misunderstanding.
Col. Foster. of the Boston Ideals,
closed his weeks engagement at the
Grand last night in almost a tragedy.
MIR. Foster had the principal role and
Paul Sweeney. of the Pioneer Press.
who has been doing the criticisms the
past week. was the balance of the COM
hinatiOn. Lew Scott. manager OF the
Grand. was the audience and he took in
fhe TWO acts with lack of enthusiasm
that riValed the conduct OF any OF the
audiences that have paid out good
money to hear the ideals sing during
the paSt six nights and two matlneeS.
The nlaV was enacted in Manager
Scott's office. and barring a FEW OF MI.
Fosters SolilOQuieS. the plot runs some
thing like this. Mr.. Sweeney enters
and says:
Mr.. S.-GOOd bye, Mr.. Foster.
Mr.. F-GOOd bye. Mr.. Sweeney.
Mr.. Sill not be able to go to Mime
apolis, so I'll not see you again until
next year.
Mr.. F-NO. and by you won't see
me again next year. Between the peO-
pie and the newspapers, they've killed
the business. for me.
Mr.. Sim sorry couldn't have done
more for you than L have.
Mr.. Fin much obliged to you, per-
sonallv. for the favOrS you have done
me. Curtain.
Six minutes are supposed to elapse,
during which the audience sits on
stool eating the butt end of Glove.
Slow music may be imagined floating
over the whole combination. Then the
scene changes, and in the second act
Col. Foster rises to most startling sit
uatiOn The audience still remains
cool. The parts are well sustained
throughout. though owing to the pecul-
lar stage sittings the tragic ending is
necessarily avoided. Here is some of
the dialogue copied from the prompter 5
book:
Col. Foster advances, cane in hand
and Richard Ill. smile on his face
Col. FoSter-NO; L did not say that [
cared nothing for criticisms by news
papers outside of New York. l SAID
that criticisms in st. Paul would not
hurt my New York engagement.
hir. SWeeney-Prithee, good sir. but
think YOU not they will so hurt you?
Col. Foster-NO, sir | don't i'm
agine YOUR id little Pioneer Press
ha, any circulation in New York.
Mr.. Sweeney faith not, but marry
there be exchanges. and with his eagle
eve the exchange man runs them
through and picks and gathers out,
sciSSoring this and that, which he. for
sooth. may find useful in his business.
Col. FOsteT-Damned be the paper
that for It's circulation has exchanges.
Mr.. Sweeney-Have it so sir, if you
will.
At this point there are few flashes
of stage thunder. The bass drum rat
ties. Streaks of fire dart athWart the
stage. The audience sits as if spell
bound, and the tragedian raises himself
for final crushing effort. The dia-
lOgue gets disconnected at times, but
the acting is so forcible as to make up
for this. Here is the dialogue:
Cal Foster (raiSing his cane which the
property man accidently gave him IN
place of swOrd)-I charge YOU, sir,
that YOU have taken occasion to wreak
YOUR spite Oh women which you owed
TO me. Cd d-n you. Come outside,
Cd d-n you, and I'll punch the
stuffing out of you.
Mr.. Sweeney-You have spoken
strangely, sir.
Col. Foster. raising his cane to his
antagonists face-G-d d-n you.
Come into this next room and I'll tie
both my hands and thump hell out of
YOU. Don't make break at me. L
don't care damn for you.
At this point Col. Foster grew more
abusive. Mr.. Sweeney meantime was
doing a little sum in arithmetic like
this: He weighs $50 pounds and is D
feet II. / weigh 155 pounds and am )
feet 8. If he makes break. how long
will it take me TO get my knee into his
stomach with sufficient force to prevent
his $50 pounds from paralyZing my 155
pounds? 1t can be done.
Lew Scott, the audience. at this point
seemed so carried away with enthusi-
asm that he could not applaud. At the
same time he was viSibly affected. A
GLOBE man went behind the scenes just
then and took a safe position on three
cornered stool in one of the wings. 1t
looked as if there would be blood, or at
any rate some lively sparring. Col.
Foster opened out the vials of his
wrath again, his face liyid and his
cane fiourishing. Mr.. Sweeney
was expecting to be annihilated
and received the abuse calmly and
without reply. When it had been con-
tinued for five minutes time was called,
as the orchestra outside began playing.
Lew Scott said it was time TO quit. Col.
Foster remarked, with some swearing,
that he would see Frank Carle, and Mr.
Sweeney, like a good newspaper man,
said nothing and went to his office.
Those of the crowd who heard of the
blOodleSs war. were offering even odds
that if it had come to blows Foster
would have won.
The affair created considerable talk
among the newspaper men and such OF
the public as were near enough to
hear it.